The Philadelphia 76ers have had a fairly strong start to the 2022-23 season, and have been on a tear as of late, winning eight of their last nine games to shoot up the Eastern Conference standings. Despite the Sixers latest run of success, it hasn't caused the rumors surrounding James Harden's future with the team to completely vanish.
Rumors have popped up lately suggesting that Harden could look to return to the Houston Rockets after this season if the Sixers don't end up making a deep playoff run with their current roster. Those rumors had gasoline dumped on them by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, and it looks like Harden could actually consider heading back to Houston if things don't end up working out with the 76ers.
For Philly, this is a big concern, as they have finally begun to win with Harden and Joel Embiid leading the way, and they are doing so without Tyrese Maxey on the court. The Sixers have to find a way to keep Harden happy in Philly, so let's take a look at two trades the 76ers could pull off in an effort to prevent Harden from reuniting with the Rockets after this season.
2. Trade for John Collins
Similar to how Harden's name always seems to pop up in rumors, John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks is constantly a name on the rumor mill. Despite signing a five-year, $125 million extension with the Hawks over the 2021 offseason, Collins seems to pop up as a potential trade candidate every season, and that has happened once again this season.
With Dejounte Murray and Trae Young pairing up in the Hawks backcourt, Collins has found less and less of a role for himself in the Hawks offense. His numbers this season aren't pretty (12.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 49.6 FG%) and show that he's being boxed out by the amount of shots Young and Murray are taking on a nightly basis.
Truth be told, Atlanta has all sorts of problems right now, but if they want to move Collins, the Sixers could see this as an opportunity to potentially upgrade from Tobias Harris, who also has seen his name floating around in trade rumors. Harris is a solid player, but Collins' ceiling is far higher than what Harris offers.
Collins could add a vertical element to the 76ers game on both ends of the court that nobody else really possesses aside from Embiid. Collins gets the majority of his points in the paint, and while he has been a strong three-point shooter throughout his career, that hasn't carried over to this season.
By adding Collins, Philly could prove that they mean business, and are intent on winning with Harden on their roster. Collins isn't necessarily the best fit, but he's a big name player who could offer Embiid some protection at the power forward position. Collins also has a ton of offensive upside, making this a deal that could definitely elevate Philadelphia's level of play throughout the remainder of the season.
1. Trade for Eric Gordon
The best move for the Sixers to make in an effort to keep Harden around may be a lot more difficult now that these rumors have surfaced. That's because it would involve pulling off a trade with the Rockets themselves in an effort to land Harden's former backcourt partner in Eric Gordon.
Gordon has always been a scorer first, and that's exactly what the 76ers would be looking for from him. Gordon's numbers this season aren't great (11.5 PPG, 2.4 APG, 2 RPG, 41.5 FG%) but he's seen his role decrease as the Rockets look to get their younger guys more playing time. For that reason, it makes sense for Houston to move on from Gordon.
While Gordon may still get moved, the likelihood of it has certainly become murky now that Harden's interest in returning to Houston has been made public. One of the things enticing Harden to return to Houston could be Gordon himself, which would make the Rockets trading him away very foolish. In fact, the Rockets may opt to hold onto Gordon in the hopes that it helps Harden return.
Of course, it's worth noting that it isn't known whether the Rockets would be interested in having Harden return. The two sides' divorce was ugly, and the Rockets are rebuilding after all. Does Harden fit into their long-term future, or does he simply take minutes from younger players who are regarded as the future of the team?
These are all things that would have to be weighed in a potential deal for Gordon. But it's clear that if the Sixers want to keep Harden on board, swinging a deal for Gordon would be the easiest way to accomplish that goal, which is why it's the trade that Philadelphia absolutely has to make if they want to prevent Harden's potential reunion with Houston.
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